After a short lightning delay on Tuesday, the JV game kicked off and Kickapoo got on the board early. But after only 11 minutes of play, the lightning came again. After waiting more than an hour and a half, the JV game was cancelled and the Varsity finally took the field at 7:15pm. The delay didn’t seem to hurt the Lady Zizzer Varsity too much as the team played a very good first half. The only goal of the half came in the 21st minute. Amanda Dominguez crossed a ball in front of the goal from the right side. Katy McLain headed the cross in for a 1-0 Kickapoo lead. West Plains contiued to play good defensively throughout the rest of the half. Offensively we forced things a little bit, but overall it was a good half.
In the second half, two quick goals from Kickapoo changed things. In the second minute of the half, Dominguez sent a ball in to McKenna Adams whose shot made it 2-0. In the 8th minute, Abby Anderson scored as aresult of a corner kick with an assist from Megan Melugin. Defensively the Lady Zizzers wer lacking the strong communication and good positioning that they displayed in the first half. Melugin would add a goal of her own in the 17th minute, getting an assist from Megan Etter. Ten minutes later, McLain found Kylie Huslig whose shot eluded Lady Zizzer Keeper Jami Brassfield. Brassfield made several excellent saves to rob Kickapoo players earlier in the match. The final goal came in the 40th minute just before the final whistle. This one as a result of a orner kick that bounced around a few times. Erica Freiert finished it off with Melugin picking up another assist.
Despite the final score, there were several positives that the Lady Zizzers can take from the game: Great defensive work as a team in the first half. perseverance to continue fighting to the end, Great goalkeeping, better work offensively in the second half. The team is making progress as they work toward Districts in just 2 and a half weeks. Next up for the Lady Zizzers are home games Thursday against Hillcrest and Friday against Rolla.
